Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-01-13

CHAPTER XIII
In June. John Earring turned his face
toward the West. elm hing the glim-
mering crcst-crovsIed Hudson by boat.
anu ever with It's aforementioned prpr-
ress Teasing his eyes upon the palace
crowned activities. What regal places.
What paraH.ses uD where the emerald
sweeps turned back -ainst the violet
gulf Of eraCr. H felt il glorious: vet
often his eyes closed heavily. and with
4 sigh he SAW again the iEnumarable
huts and hoes L hunger tlas festered
IN the bT-va-7 and corners OF the huge
town hc had LETT behind
At length he left the water for the
rail. and making for the ), est swerv ID
toward the South. and with kind Of
mixed del rht and nisriving within.
got down from the train az Cincinua-
Ii. Is he had months befora. Then he
had felt sense Of contam ieation. Z
sorrow VT with polluted blood. which
still burned often across him. diving
away into an unSp-:ka5ia pity for
hJun : UuEallOWed end. Something of
the horror % those Ia-EIavS in Open>tOue
had been -ooSsued rom aim. or it were
much a. If the dried blood and tears
upon his n mors- hdd been half worn
OF by the thousands Of new scenes and
faces Chlt mad glanced along his con-
sci0UsReSS daring these months of wan
derinG. But still by times his fin-rers
would clineh - he threw it from him
with 4 SIM Ter. and now when he stood
in Celeste city even her haliCwed
presence ii that nightmare period of
his life brought it rushing over HIN
and for q moment the thousand NOV
ing figures about him were blurred as
IN 4 mist. and only the dead Girl living
in the water under the hill ut Open
stone seemed clear. let he sniverrd
at thought OF her; she that had been
vile, Could he ever forgive that2 Even
had he loved her wholly it had only
been the dead.ier. Yet she was nnO-
cent. innocent through Ignorance. he
thought III. what iuexpressibie treat
ment had been pcrtioued out 10 heri
Into what an abyss had sac been
tripped. and what weak and Sputterinr
lights were words wherewith to de-
scend into she cavern of her wrong
and iIlumiGe It's hideousness.
At length. drawing heedlessiv away
from the city's heart. he came into
qUIeter parts. but STEPPED in RETROSPECT
ton he noticed It but little. He had
wandered 50 much a0out strange
streets in these late months that he mad
come. when his thoughts were turned
backward or inward. to regard en-
yIroGing objects Iittie more than if he
were in room. % he walked on half
thinking that he should presently 20 to
some hotel. and strai ghtway falling
again into a reveric: the sIUm beroUS
eyes of Mann, the black feverLsh lights
under the hook-heepar' brow and the
Sky-Iihe luminous orbs of Celeste.
seemed mlanciHg about the mental
plummets with which he was seraininr
to measure how much or little be- had
cared in truth for the lost lamented
girl. when suddenly Celeste came into
the street farther up the reSidence-coy-
cred bluff and started down toward
him Her iImpin- figure looked slen-
der and fair against the background Of
sky. and when she saw john r.arIinr
sudden light wlIiCeaed across her face.
her hands lifted little IL from 4 thrill
through the heart and she stopped.
He did not see her. and she turned as
If to 90 back. then she went on. with
her exquisite cheeks and chin flushing
an almost invisible pink, and paused
when she met him
When the young man glanced up.
and from seeing the same eyes within
him beheId the living ones diIatinr
with light before him. he started with
a sort of frightened cry. but quickly
put out his hand and grasped her ex-
tended one.
You are 4 long way from Open
stone. Mr. Earring. I am glad 10 see
Won - Sha s-,f.I with har- fran / SD, iIn
and silvery voice.
All. there was the voice which had
followed him for wears, and his
thoughts ran about after words for a
moment confusedly: then he recovered /.
himself and said. with the suddenly /
stirred blood still mantling his face:
Thank you; yes. L come to be sick +
ened with the place; some very terrible /
things having occurred-Oh, yes, YOU /
them. yes; the last time | /
saw you you were Standing by-by-
Maun's grave singing Even in his |
lack of calmness he noticed the quick /
wave of feeling that swept across her +,
face
Yes. | remember it. she said. her /
eyes falling with family wIthered ex- /
preston as if in memory of a great /
pain or struggle. 1T was the saddest- |
hardest thing [ ever knew. [ do not !
think the death of my own mother
touched ME more. Then she lifted /
her ewes to his again with something /
not unlike the tender, plying. anxious
ook of child reading its sick parents
face. You are not so well since then;
ioes It not go away from you?s" she |